Who I am
It’s hard to separate me from my father, Oscar Brown, Jr. And why would anyone want to. Being the daughter of a legendary lyricist and performer, I inherited all the old man’s finest qualities – the voice, the mannerisms, the spirit, and the theatricality. It is true - the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree. It's been said, anyone who has experienced Maggie Brown in performance has witnessed a consummate artist with enough star qualities to cast off any shadows that go along with following in Dad’s footsteps.
Born and raised on Chicago’s Southside, I grew up the youngest of my 3 immediate siblings. My older brother Bo Brown, was a musician and often my babysitter, which meant I grew up experiencing a lot of rehearsals and jazz jam sessions in our Hyde Park neighborhood. We visited our Dad, Oscar Brown Jr., during school breaks, and were further exposed to music and show business. It's been 30 years now, and I have chosen to continue expanding our family legacy through song and Edutainment.
I am a vocalist, music producer, and also a storyteller. I consider myself a concerned cultural artist, intentionally seeking to influence my audience, using the transformative and unifying power of words and music.
It is my intention to inspire a greater sense of responsibility for the positive outcome of our future.
What I've Done
In 1998, an appearance at the Schomberg Library Center in concert with her father afforded Maggie exposure to singer/songwriter Abbey Lincoln. After witnessing Maggie’s performance, Ms. Lincoln proclaimed her “a great performer,” and invited Maggie to perform two duets on her Wholly Earth CD, released January 1999 on the Verve label. She also may be heard in duet with Jonathan Butler on the Urban Knights II CD. Maggie has also done studio recording with Kelan Phil Cohran, Ramsey Lewis and Stevie Wonder.
Maggie defies definition, with a repertoire that finds her performing in venues as diverse as the House of Blues, the Old Towne School of Folk Music, Ravinia Jazz Festival, the world-renown Chicago Jazz Festival and Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center. Nationally she’s performed at New York’s Blue Note with Abbey Lincoln, at Zanzibar Blue in Philadelphia, Razzels in Denver and at the Woodruf Arts Center in Atlanta, among others. Overseas, Maggie appeared in the "Made in Chicago Jazz Fest," in Poznan, Poland. Maggie's more recent appearances have been with Tom Tom Washington's Big Band, Joan Collaso's 11 Jazzy Divas, the AACM, and Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.
In 1995 Maggie launched her own independent label, Mag Pie Records. Her debut recording, From My Window, was nominated for a Chicago Music Award (CMA) for Best Jazz CD. The following year she was again nominated, this time for Best Jazz Performer.
Offstage, Maggie consulted in the development of the Chicago House of Blues’ Blues Schoolhouse Student Outreach Program. She has consulted and worked as artist-in-residence for the Ravinia Festival’s Education Department, Quad City Arts in Iowa, and Columbia College Chicago.